ed1380:
Is the source code for the $50 debugged and working?I have a report due in a few weeks, about any topic I choose and think this would be a great way to take my first step into actually building a robot, and getting to show off at school 8)

Will a 9.6v ~2000ma/h battery be good? Got a couple of those laying around not being used.

Admin:

--- Quote ---Is the source code for the $50 debugged and working?--- End quote ---Yeap it works. But I recommend getting the ~$30 programmer cause I havent had time to figure out what went wrong with the cheaper one . . . the issues are all explained in the tutorial.

--- Quote ---Will a 9.6v ~2000ma/h battery be good? Got a couple of those laying around not being used.--- End quote ---Yes and no. The servos are rated for a maximum of 6V (meaning they will fry if you go much higher). You could of course use a switching regulator to step the 9.6V down to 6V. The microcontroller circuitry will seperately use the 5V regulator so no need to worry about that.http://www.dimensionengineering.com/DE-SWADJ.htm

ed1380:
Will I be able to use that programmer in the future when I go more advanced? Will it work with the more advance mcu's?

Can I get another 5v voltage regulator and use that for the servo's, cause I'm not too excited spending $15 on a voltage regulator? If anything I'll use a 6v battery pack.

Admin:
Search digikey for ATAVRISP2 and check the datasheet for what it supports. The more expensive one is better and supports more AVR's. Its the one I normally use, and I think most people use.

--- Quote ---Can I get another 5v voltage regulator and use that for the servo's, cause I'm not too excited spending $15 on a voltage regulator?--- End quote ---Nope. A regular regulator is extremely inefficient and will fry with all the wasted heat.

dunk:

--- Quote ---Nope. A regular regulator is extremely inefficient and will fry with all the wasted heat.--- End quote ---unless you research "switching regulators" which are typically 90% efficient or better but at the expense of added complexity. the LM2596 for example. http://www.national.com/pf/LM/LM2596.html